"I have never seen times like these," admitted Bernardino. "The pest has
wiped out half of the population of Siena." Giovanni Capistrano looked
at his friend and shook his head. "We are indeed facing the end of the
world," he replied.

"We have run out of salt for the fish, ink
for the copyists, and candles for the chapel," enumerated Bernardino.
"We don't even have cloth to make robes for the novices!"Capistrano
took in a deep breath

Capistrano
took in a deep breath and, instead of giving an answer, he murmured a
prayer. He was convinced that the catastrophes that had happened during
the last years were a punishment from God and that no resistance was
possible.

In the year 1419, the economic depression ravaging
Tuscany had reached gigantic proportions. Bernardino was 39 years old
and he had seen with his own eyes land prices go down by 80% in a
twenty-year period. It was difficult to imagine that things could get
worse than they were already.

Although Bernardino appreciated
Giovanni Capistrano highly, he was also conscious that his friend was
more gifted for theological disputes than for solving practical
problems. Since Bernardino was the prior of Santa Maria Monastery,
finding solutions was his job.He needed to be alone for a while

After the morning prayer, he left
the chapel through the back door, crossed the monastery's orchard, and
walked into the woods. Like every time he had to make a difficult
decision, he needed to be alone for a while.

"We have hardly
enough to eat as it is now," Bernardino reflected as he advanced towards
the river. "Should I tell novices that our monastery cannot accept new
vocations at this time and send them away?"

Suddenly, Bernardino
stood still and looked around puzzled. Something had changed since the
last time he had been in the woods, but he couldn't tell what.
Intrigued, he advanced fifty steps and reached the riverbank. It was
only at that moment that Bernardino realized what had interrupted his
thoughts. It was the noise! He was so used to long hours of silence in
the monastery that he had forgotten the relentless sound of nature.He sat down on a stone beside the
water

Summer
had arrived and Bernardino was immersed in a cacophony of cries from
birds, cicadas, and tree frogs. He sat down on a stone beside the
water and tried to concentrate his mind on the most pressing problems.

Like
every year, the summer had made the river water level go down by two
feet, uncovering in the middle of the stream a long, narrow island.
Bernardino knew it well, since it had served him as playground in his
childhood, many years ago.

Bushes that had remained submerged
during the winter were now showing deep green colours and had become the
ideal basis for swallows to build their mud-nests. Bernardino smiled
when two yellow butterflies flew above his shoulders, fearlessly headed
towards the island.

He lowered his head and prayed silently for
guidance. Nine young men had requested to join the Santa Maria Monastery
as novices. Bernardino was the prior and it was up to him to decide on
the postulants' admission.

The economic depression had drained
the monastery's resources to such an extent that there was no way for
Bernardino to feed nine additional monks, let alone provide them with
novice's robes. On the other hand, additional help was badly needed to
cultivate the monastery's land.I have found a
solution

When Bernardino returned to the
monastery one hour later, he found Giovanni Capistrano sitting on a
bench in front of the chapel, reading the Bible. "I have found a
solution," announced Bernardino approaching his friend. Capistrano
lifted his eyes from the book and scrutinized Bernardino's face. "To the
economic crisis?" he retorted sceptically. "Or do you mean a solution
to the pest that is decimating the population of nearby cities?"

"If
we cannot change the whole world," went on Bernardino, "let us at least
focus our efforts on doing whatever we can to improve our situation."
Giovanni Capistrano closed the Bible and stared at Bernardino, wondering
what he was talking about.

"I was sitting by the river thinking
about our problems," Bernardino continued, "when I realized that the
solution was before my eyes. It is summer now and swallows have built
their nests on the island in the middle of the river."The energy of
nature never stops

He turned
around and pointed at the cedar tree beside the chapel. "The energy of
nature never stops. Season after season, year after year, animals and
plants grow and live further. If there is a storm, birds might stand
still for a few hours, but only to move on relentlessly as soon as the
weather improves."

"Swallows don't sit around paralysed by fear
of the end of the world," continued Bernardino. "They pick up whatever
materials are available and build their nests, trying to make the best
of any given circumstances."

Giovanni Capistrano shrugged his
shoulders. "Indeed, birds are always moving, but they are stupid animals
that cannot reflect about the future. Otherwise, swallows would not
build nests on the island every summer. When the river water level goes
up in September, the island will be flooded and the nests will be washed
away."We don't have to repeat our past mistakes

Bernardino nodded. "That's the point, Giovanni. We are
men, not birds, and we don't have to repeat our past mistakes. On the
other hand, we can learn from animals that life is meant to be lived by
relentlessly moving forward, not by complaining that things should be
otherwise than they are."

"That's very philosophical, but I can't
see how it relates to our current problems" objected Capistrano, laying
the Bible on the bench and standing up. "That will not help the Santa
Maria Monastery feed nine new novices. Unfortunately, we have to send
those postulants away."

"No, let's welcome those new vocations
and thank God for sending them to us," answered Bernardino. "Those nine
novices are the help that we need to cultivate the monastery's land. If
necessary, we will pawn our gold chalice to get us through the next
months."

Incredulous, Giovanni Capistrano shook his head. "Even
if a pawnbroker in Sienna took the chalice, that wouldn't bring us
enough money to purchase nine monk's robes for the novices."

"Follow
me," ordered Bernardino, starting to moved towards the chapel. With
Giovanni Capistrano on his trail, he entered the chapel, walked past the
wooden benches, and stood still in front of the brown drapes that
covered the wall. "We'll use those to make monk's robes. When the
economy recovers, we'll have new drapes made for the chapel."A pro-active attitude in difficult times

Indeed,
the economy recovered little by little. Six years later, by 1425, the
Santa Maria Monastery was restored to its old splendour. Bernardino's
pro-active attitude in difficult times earned him a well-deserved
reputation and, soon after, Pope Eugene IV offered him a bishop's
appointment.

"Some matters pass off more quietly than anyone could expect," wrote
Titus Livius two thousand years ago, "but times of trouble allow to tell
apart discerning men. You will see them reflecting on the cause of
their problems, rather than on the problems themselves."

How to use perspective to shield yourself from discouragement

These
days, when catastrophe and disgrace fill pages of newspapers, we can all
use some perspective to shield us from discouragement. Tidal changes
have taken place in all ages. Instability and shifting paradigms will
befall humanity again and again.

* People have felt trapped in countries and occupations while their world fell apart.

* Established markets have disappeared overnight.

* Systems that were supposed to last forever have revealed themselves as too frail to be trusted.

Why every chicken must break out of its own shell

Egg-shells
look deceivingly fragile. The truth is that breaking out presents
almost insurmountable problems for chicken. Baby chicken don't even know
that they are inside a shell, since their eyes are still closed.

What
makes the situation of infant birds even more critical, if that they
have very limited time to accomplish their feat. The little oxygen that
gets through the shell won't keep them alive for long. At a certain
moment, almost by magic, baby chicken begin to move and break out of the
egg.

Moving too slowly or too fast does not work

Experiments have shown that the time needed for hatching
varies with each individual bird. Try as you may, if you break the
egg-shell yourself in order to help the bird get out, chances are that
you will kill it. Do it too soon and the chicken will die. Waiting too
long is also a sign of trouble. If the baby bird is unable to hatch on
its own efforts, it means that nature has already decided otherwise.

Then
why on earth do chicken break out of the shell? The simplicity of the
answer will not make it less shocking. Birds hatch for one reason only:
because, at a certain point in their development, it becomes too
uncomfortable to remain inside the egg. It gets too constrained, too
warm, too sticky, too hard to breathe inside the shell.

Invisible
shells are the hardest to break

Inevitably, each of us carries around a
few. Unlike those of chicken, our shells are not made of calcium, but
of fear and indecision. We exaggerate problems and underestimate our
resiliency. We cling to continuity even when we know that the old bridge
ahead of the road has already collapsed.

If your conclusions
don't match reality, re-examine your premises. If History has turned
your most precious dreams to dust, maybe they were not meant to be
realized.

Every chicken must break out of its own shell. Life
will be always fraught with distress and difficulties. Don't you ever
let them bring you down. Look at the world with a fresh spirit, choose
your path, and move on. As Titus Livius put it so well,"urgent measures
are meant to be applied with great dispatch."

Are you looking for a guaranteed way to waste the rest of your life?
Here it is: spend your time searching for things where there aren't. I
have also a second formula for squandering your days: spend your time
chasing people that are unavailable. The same goes for attempting to
travel to places that are not accessible.

Don't go looking for jobs where they ain't any

We all engage in this
kind of pursuits occasionally and that's fine, since no one has perfect
knowledge. What is terrifying is when someone persists in trying to pull
through an impossible trick. Children do that and so do mice trapped in
a maze, but why on earth don't adults know better than that?

The
reasons for this type of counter-productive behaviour is unpleasantly
ordinary: intellectual laziness. Our desire for comfort and ease often
makes us blind to obvious truths. If you want cheap oranges, go to
Morocco and not to the airport deli. This straightforward principle, if
applied consistently, can bring major improvements to your life. Let us
consider three examples:Do not look for a job in the desert

You might get lucky and find the only opening available, but chances
are that you won't. If you labour at the only factory in a small town
and the factory closes, don't waste your time hanging around waiting for
a miracle. Pack your things, get into your car, and drive to a place
where businesses are hiring.

Do not try to sell something where there are no buyers

You would be amazed to see the number of
empty houses, apartments, and malls in areas where not that many people
live. Real estate developers have wasted fortunes putting up buildings
on locations where few people are interested in buying or renting.

Why
did they not conduct a thorough market research before investing
millions? Who knows, maybe they didn't know any better, but the lesson
to be drawn is clear. You should focus your sales efforts on places
where there are customers.

Do not go to Alaska seeking warm weather

Some people choose to live in places where there is a lousy
weather most of the year. There are usually good reasons for doing that,
such as cheap housing, low criminality, and abundant job opportunities.

This
is not a philosophical issue and you should choose whatever location
you like best. My point is that, if you live in a cold area and you
happen to love warm weather, your complaining is not going to change
anything.

Is a pleasant temperature outside home one of your
priorities? If your answer is positive, there are plenty of warm areas
on earth to where you can relocate at a reasonable cost. Every minute
employed in pursuing the impossible is gone forever, without profit nor
joy.

Stay away from barren land

The world is complicated and problematic enough as it is.
Attempting to carry out what is obviously unfeasible is pointless and
does not even make a good hobby. Stay away from barren land and focus
your efforts on fruitful fields.

If you ever spend a holiday in Egypt, don't forget to visit the place
where the barrack of archaeologist Howard Carter used to stand one
century ago. When you inquire about the exact location, your guide will
point at a promontory in the sand, a small elevation in the Egyptian
desert that looks no different from the other dunes.

How curiosity and persistence work in your favour

Tourists who
visit the place stand still, examine the spot, and look around,
wondering if the guide is telling them truth. Those visitors are
actually not interested in looking at the desert. What has brought them
there is the story of Howard Carter, a man who, thanks to his curiosity
and persistence, became the most famous archaeologist in History.

Despite
his modest origins and lack of academic degrees, Carter's profound
interest in the history of Ancient Egypt led him to read all available
books on the subject and, little by little, he earned a reputation of
specialist in Egyptian antiquities. His initiative and hands-on
experience in excavations led him to develop the theory that the tomb of
one Pharaoh, Tutankhamen, had not yet been found.

Carter's
hypothesis conflicted with the prevalent idea at that time, held by
professors and specialists alike, who sustained that all tombs in the
Valley of Kings had been already found. When Carter was in his early
forties, he teamed up with an English wealthy landowner, Lord Carnavon,
obtained a concession to excavate the Valley of Kings and began to look
for the tomb of Pharaoh Tutankhamen.

Visit the promontory where
Carter's barrack used to stand and you will see that the sand ends
abruptly at the riverbank three hundred meters down the slope. The small
boats crossing the Nile these days still offer a sight that is not that
different from what Howard Carter witnessed at the beginning of the
20th century.Walking past the point of maximum discouragement

In 1922, Carter went through the lowest point in
his career and he must have spent many hours pondering his dark future
and unsuccessful past, as he contemplated the boats sailing across the
river. His sponsor, Lord Carnavon, had announced that he would no longer
be funding Carter's excavations beyond the end of that year.

The
belief in the existence of Tutankhamen's undiscovered tomb had not
earned Carter any professional distinction. On the contrary, his theory,
developed out of his own interpretation of fragments found by other
archaeologists, was considered marginal and obscure.

During the
previous six years, Carter had spent a good part of Lord Carnavon's
fortune in excavations in the Valley of Kings. The results had been so
disappointing that Carnavon had decided to put an end to the enterprise
at the end of that season.

At that time, Carter was already 48
years old and must have been looking back at his life wondering if he
had done the right thing by embarking on a risky venture instead of
choosing a safer career as antiquities dealer or monuments inspector. He
had no money, no wife, no children, and an uncertain future.

Entrepreneurs often succeed by following a non-conventional strategy

Although
he had devoted decades to studying Ancient Egypt, he had failed to
secure a high-paying position. The dominant view was that Tutankhamen's
tomb had been pillaged and forgotten centuries ago. Only Carter was
convinced that the tomb could still be found, buried somewhere under the
sand.

Carter's hypothesis and initiative had moved Lord Carnavon
to entrust him with conducting excavations in the Valley of Kings, but
six years of digging had been to no avail. In fact, the determination to
search for Tutankhamen's tomb had wasted Carter's own life and a
substantial part of Lord Carnavon's fortune. Europe had been ravaged by
World War I and Carter knew that, after his long years of failure, his
chances of finding another sponsor for his excavations was nil.

Initiative
is a virtue that can be taught only by example. Taking calculated risks
to pursue your dream, as Howard Carter did, cannot be emphasized enough
as the key to a happy and successful life. The level of risk must be
assessed and minimized as much as possible, but in the end, a man must
remind himself that he is going to live only once. Extraordinary value
cannot be achieved by simply following prescribed routines.

Nowadays,
when tourists visit the location of Carter's wooden barrack in the
Valley of Kings, their guide usually asks them to take a few steps on
the sand, turn around, use their hand to shade their eyes from the sun,
and look at the sign on the other side of the dune.

It is the
sign that points visitors to Tutankhamen's tomb, which Carter finally
managed to find in November 1922, just when his last excavation campaign
was to end. He had spent years looking for that tomb and had succeeded
only a few days before Carnavon's final deadline. Carter's extraordinary
initiative and persistence had paid off against all expectations, in
direct opposition to the views of official experts and professors.Personal initiative plays a key role in achievement

History
provides countless examples of how entrepreneurship opens the door to
striking success. Relentless initiative is far superior to stale
knowledge. Those with vision and ambition can always acquire the
information they miss. Possessing expertise is not worth much without
the willingness to put it to practical use and take the risks associated
with innovation.

After discovering Tutankhamen's tomb, Carter
lived for another 16 years, enjoying the prestige and financial
advantages of being the best known archaeologist in the world. The
treasures found in Tutankhamen's tomb have an immense value, but they
cannot be compared to the lesson drawn from Howard Carter's initiative
and persistence.

In order to improve your life, you don't need to place your hopes on a
lottery ticket or wait for the world to grant you the perfect
opportunity. There is a better way and it is condensed in the principles
of rational living, principles such as “think like an entrepreneur, not
like a crusader,” “ignore the noise and focus on results,” “stay away
from high-risk situations,” “find people who share your values,” and
“develop strong long-term passions.”

This book presents the principles
of rational living in great detail, with numerous examples of people who
have applied them successfully. The principles of rational living are
sound ideas that can dramatically improve your life. Learn all about
them and start applying them today.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Think like an entrepreneur, not like a crusader A recipe for getting ahead in good and bad timesDebating and arguing are a waste of timeThe true believer is the one who preaches by exampleEntrepreneurs thrive on trouble and inconvenienceUnlike resources, opportunities are infinite

2. Ignore the noise and focus on resultsIf one road is blocked, take anotherHow to keep calm when you are surrounded by nonsenseThe effective way to handle work overloadLearning from people who never feel discouragedA proven strategy against career stagnation

3. Live inexpensively and invest for future incomeWhy the stock market offers the best opportunitiesCommon traits of great businessmen and investorsWhat kind of companies should you invest in?A simple strategy is all you needAdopt a realistic and practical approach

4. Choose a simple and healthy lifestyleDon't just eat well, eat wonderfullyWhat is healthy, tasty, and easy to cook?How to reduce everyday risks to your healthEating healthily when you are travellingIs it possible to slow down ageing?Why it is so difficult to lead a simple life

5. Find people who share your valuesWhy you should ignore most of what you hearThe ugly duckling story repeats itself every dayOvercoming the resistance to changing jobs and relocatingDon't be original, be unique Proven strategies for building great relationshipsWould you recognize yourself in the crowd?

6. Listen to your emotions, but check the factsBeware of exaggerated romantic talesIn dating and cooking, choose natural ingredientsHow far are you willing to go for happiness?Conflicting values lead to contradictory behaviourThe short distance between infatuation and obfuscationDo not waste your best years pursuing unworkable ideals

7. Accept the inevitable hassles of lifePutting an end to exaggerated fearsExtreme reactions are foolish and wastefulIn praise of caution and circumspectionCan you remain self-confident in times of trouble?How impatient people become stoic philosophers Never grant problems more weight than they deserve

8. Stay away from high-risk situationsDeath statistics make great bedtime readingTranquillity seldom comes cheapDo not make an obsession of the perfect professionThree situations that you should avoid like the pestEvery archer needs more than one arrowThe jungle never sleeps

9. Acquire effective habitsAn hour has sixty minutes, a day twenty-four hoursIn praise of staying behindHow a proactive attitude helps you overcome difficultiesLet go of the dead weight of prejudiceSmooth operators get more out of lifePersonal effectiveness depends on patterns

10. Develop strong long-term passionsComparing yourself with other people makes no senseDon't drink the poison of contradictionWhat heroes are made ofThe myths of the single skill and the unique opportunityBecome tolerant of mistakes, since you will make so manyThe link between integrity and passion

Does it pay to hire someone to analyse your dreams? Will it make any
difference in your present or future life? I must express my scepticism
about the psychological and practical returns on such investments.

When
a problem of personal nature comes up, do you really believe that
talking endlessly about your past is going to change your future? Should
you not rather establish a plan of action and push yourself into
implementing it?Paralysis only aggravates problems

The solution to past problems begins with
present action. Paralysis only aggravates problems. Relentless action is
the best countermeasure. The way forward entails defining goals, making
plans, and following them through.

Let me break down my advice in 12 sequential steps:

1. Get a pencil and a piece of paper and draw two vertical lines in the middle, creating three columns.

2. In the first column, write down where you are now, for instance "I live in Detroit and I don't like it."

3. In the second column, write down where you want to be, for example "I want to live in Paris."

4. For the moment, leave the third column blank.

5. Cross from the list all items that are of secondary importance or that you don't wish to address right now.

6.
You should be left with no more than six present and future elements.
Let those be your priorities, at least for the time being.

7.
Classify your six remaining problems and objectives into two groups. One
should contain burning short-term issues that need urgent attention,
like settling pending bills or avoiding the foreclosure of your home.
The second group should encompass your most important long-term goals,
like moving to Paris.Long-term goals are more inspiring than short-term ones

8. The less short-term burning issues and the more long-term goals you have, the better.

9.
In the third column, write down specific steps that you can take in
order to advance, for each issue, from your present status to your
future goal. In the geographical example, the actions could consist of
selling your house in Detroit, learning French, looking for a job in
Paris, finding a house to rent there, and preparing the removal of your
possessions from Detroit to Paris.

10. Begin to implement your actions one by one, pushing yourself everyday into carrying them out.

11.
Many of your foreseen undertakings will fail or will reveal themselves
impracticable. Never mind. Simply cross failed actions from your list
and replace them by new alternatives. The fact that you are doing
something is already helping you learn what doesn't work.

12. Step by step, your implementation will become sharper and increase the effectiveness of your results.

Relentless action, the solution to (almost) every problem

Relentless
action, in addition to producing practical gains, enhances your
psychological well-being. The souls of those who live by action also
grow daily in wisdom. Peace of mind does not come from immobility, but
from the process of pushing forward. The human brain is not made for
wallowing in past mistakes. Rational goals and ambitions bring out the
best in human beings. Relentless action elevates men and women beyond
the weight of personal history.

In traditional education, lying is universally abhorred. Children are
taught that one should tell the truth under any circumstances. Such
paradigm is usually reinforced with morality tales of liars who suffer
terrible punishments. However, when children grow up and become
adolescents, they realize that some details do not match in the story
they've been told.The antidote to disillusionment and cynicism

The extreme emotionality of teenagers is
linked to their moral awakening. At thirteen, they complain that people
don't follow the principles they preach. At fourteen, they point out
inconsistencies between ideals and facts. At fifteen, they long to see
alignment between purpose and means, but where should they find it?

In
this context of straight virtues and twisted reality, becoming an adult
frequently leads to disillusionment, cynicism, or sectarian
self-delusion. As a result, truth is reduced to the realm of talk,
actions become unpredictable, and promises unreliable. What an ethical
mess, what an intellectual nightmare.Moral confusion is the inevitable result of contradictory thinking

The moral confusion of our
age is the natural consequence of contradictory premises in our
thinking. You cannot expect people to tell the truth while you overwhelm
them with equivocations and misrepresentations. There is no excuse for
eluding the issue. There is no answer to this dilemma except for that
provided by logic and evidence:

1. The ethical requirement to
tell the truth under any circumstances does not hold water and there is
no evidence that it has ever worked. Such requirement lacks solid
grounds, since it fails to acknowledge the difference between good and
evil.

2. When dealing directly with nature, it is in our own
interest to remain faithful to acquired data and confirmed observations.
Machines and chemical processes operate according to the laws of
identity and causality. In those cases, if you lie, you will simply get
different results or none at all.

3. When dealing with other men,
truth is morally due to those who are themselves authentic and
reliable. The proportion of genuine and benevolent individuals in your
life might include, depending on the context, a few or most people.
Indisputably, you should be loyal and faithful to those who are honest.

What
about the rest of your social contacts? How should one face individuals
who are evil or misinformed, in numbers large or small? For those
cases, we need to define clear guidelines for ourselves and our
children. For instance, when we have a duty to provide accurate
information, what we should do in case of doubt, and so on.The key to emotional stability is ethical
consistency

No
morality should demand individuals to tell the truth to those who are
trying to do them harm. Equally, no ethical system should require people
to disclose private details to random strangers. Contradictory ideals
lead to random decisions. The key to emotional stability is ethical
consistency.

We have seen too often what prejudice has to offer.
We have experienced too frequently how chaos arises from contradictions
and waste from inconsistencies. Let us place our principles under reason
and our actions under logic, for no other approach can ever meet the
demands of reality.

At the time of this writing, newspaper headlines are all tremendously
negative. However, if you look beyond the obvious, you will be able to
see the seeds of the accelerated economic growth that will take place in
the next years.

Learn to disregard the negative bias of the daily news

Indeed, in some areas of the world, the economy
is stagnating, inflation is rising and unemployment remains high. As a
result, millions of people are seeing their lives disrupted. Those who
have recently lost their jobs may have the feeling that finding a new
position is going to take extensive efforts and a very long time.

The
stock markets are showing daily fluctuations over 3%, an enormous range
by historical standards. Some investors have liquidated their holdings
in despair and incurred a substantial loss. The current levels of market
volatility are testing the faith of the most devoted believers in a
better economic future.Stay away from the gloom-and-doom atmosphere

The psychological pressures that
accompany these events are considerable. The gloom-and-doom atmosphere
that dominates conversations inevitably influences people's decisions.
Purchases are delayed and changes are feared. When the future looks
dark, hesitation seems safer than action.

Nevertheless, despite
all these threats and uncertainties, I remain massively optimistic about
the future of the world economy. I am convinced that growth will soon
resume strongly and take us to higher levels of prosperity. On which
facts do I base my optimistic conviction? Are my positive expectations
justified by statistical trends?

There are lots of positive economic data if you care to look for them

Yes, in fact there are lots of
positive economic data out there if you care to look for them, and not
only in China, India and Singapore. Freight volumes are growing and the
same can be said of the number of new vehicles sold. More car sales
means more steel production and more jobs. For every negative newspaper
headline, you can find plenty of data that predict an upwards trend.

Even
so, my purpose today is not to engage a statistical discussion. Facts
can be measured, but opportunities need to be discovered. Improvements
are what you get when you apply creativity to problems.

For
predicting the future, structural factors are more reliable than
isolated details. If you know a man's character, you will be able to
foretell his destiny with greater accuracy than if you know everything
he did during the last two days.

Human creativity, or rather, the
increased opportunity to exercise it, provides us a solid ground for
forecasting a bright economic future. Like a man's character, the level
of personal initiative and inventiveness in the world changes only
slowly, but one it gets as good as it is now, chances are that it will
stay this way for many years.

Three reasons for optimism here and now

My overall optimism is based on the following factors, that you will find no difficulty in observing yourself:

[1]
Emigration has become easier than at any previous time in history:
Millions of people are moving every year from one place to another to
take advantage of the expanded opportunities to exercise their talents.

Sometimes,
emigration takes place within the same country (between two cities),
but very often, it involves crossing the border between countries. As
travel costs continue to decrease and regulations become more flexible,
companies benefit from the influx of new talent and workers can find
jobs that offer improved economic prospects. In addition to the economic
advantage, the contact with other cultures also tends to make people
more tolerant and open.

[2] Artists can now offer their creations
directly to millions of consumers. The tide has turned for creative
individuals. If you are a musician, you can now develop your career
without having to wait for a record company to give you a break. The
same goes for writers, painters, illustrators, composers, and
photographers.

Even new film-makers can now make their movies at a
fraction of what it used to cost a few years ago. With the help of
low-cost digital cameras, free editing software, and internet
distribution, many wonderful films are getting made nowadays, films that
would have never seen the daylight in previous decades.

[3] The
cost of starting a new business has never been so low in history. In
some cases, all you need is an innovative idea and the determination to
build something from scratch. We live in a world where vision and
commitment are more important that the size of your bank account. Money
and other resources can always be borrowed if you know how to apply them
productively.

The endless possibilities offered by the internet
have unleashed human creativity to levels unknown before. You no longer
need to relocate in order to have your products designed, manufactured,
and sold in other countries. Video-conferences with clients and
suppliers all over the world have become virtually free-of-charge. The
cost of market intelligence has also been drastically reduced.

What
is even better, the time-line for starting a new business has been
compressed and shifted. Low-cost software applications will routinely
spare new entrepreneurs hundreds of hours of work, and the work that
still needs to be done, they can do it during the evenings and weekends.

Stay alert and seize the opportunities

Never
before in history have millions of people enjoyed the opportunity of
starting their own business while they can still keep their day job. A
lower risk for starting new companies means that more companies will be
started, making overall economic growth almost inevitable.

For
the three reasons above, I believe that the world economy will continue
to grow strongly in the next decade. Of course, the situation will not
be equally positive in all countries and in all currencies, but so what?
Creativity will always flow to places where opportunities exist and
this is the way it should be. Stop listening to negative reports and
learn to look beyond the headlines. Things will continue to get better
overall as entrepreneurs seize the immense economic possibilities of the
21st century.

Unfairness is everywhere and, if you care to look, you will detect more
than your equitable share. Some people are born in the right
environment, others possess powerful connections, inherit better looks,
or simply draw the lucky number in a lottery.

What to do when you are treated unfairly

Occasionally, your
valuable work won't be appreciated and, instead, people will praise
worthless nonsense. You may at times have to endure discrimination or
ostracism, with the accompanying financial drawbacks. Disappointment,
self-pity, and envy are frequent reactions to those situations.

Those
negative emotions result from complex thought processes, which are as
widespread as they are illogical. Imagine, for example, the case of an
inexperienced person who is appointed to a high position within a bank
thanks to his family connections to the detriment of a much
better-qualified candidate.

What is the emotionally healthy response?

What will be the feelings of the
person who has seen his rightful expectations evaporate in a cloud of
unfairness? On the one hand, irritation and perhaps anger. In addition,
discouragement or even depression. Finally, envy, together with an
overall sensation of futility. Let us examine in detail the thought
sequence that generates these feelings:

1. The open position should be filled with the most competent candidate.

2. The people who will make the choice should strive to identify who the best candidate is.

3. The selection should be made exclusively on the basis of rational criteria.

4. People should display extra care when they make such crucial decisions.

5.
When someone makes important choices for an organization, he should not
let himself be influenced by personal interests and family connections.

6. Since I am the best-qualified candidate, I should obtain the appointment.

7. If a less experienced person is selected for the job, that would constitute a terrible injustice.

The
ideas described above seem irrefutable at first sight, but they fall
apart if we subject them to rational examination. In reality, we all
know that some people carry out their duties in an exemplary manner
while others are as negligent as you can be. For every person who
possesses a strong sense of justice, how many will you find who prefer
to look the other way?

Viewing mistakes and plain nonsense in the right perspective

Even if you happen to be the
best-qualified individual for that particular job, how much of that is
the result of luck anyway? If you are reading this, I bet that you have
not been born in appalling poverty, deprived of access to basic
education, and neglected by your parents to the point of
near-starvation. Do take a minute to assess if at least part of your
success is the result of pure coincidence or good fortune.

My
point is not to state that everything is relative, which is not.
Equally, I am not trying to tell you that you shouldn't have ambitions,
which you should, by all means. What I am arguing is that envy, a deep
feeling of misplaced disadvantage, is mostly a logical illusion.

Does it make sense to focus on the unfairness of the day?

In
a world where millions of people are ignorant, thoughtless, and driven
by nefarious ethics, what sense does it make to focus on the unfairness
of the day? Lamentations and wishful thinking can bring about certain
psychological relief, but they are essentially a waste of resources.

The
rational response to unfairness is not envy, but relentless action.
Given sufficient time, intelligent persistence tends to weigh off the
influences of inheritance and chance. In our example, the person who has
not been chosen for the job would do better to put on a good face and
start to look around, discreetly, for a better position for himself at a
rival bank.

Your time on earth is limited and should be used
promoting your own cause in front of rational, fair individuals. For
what concerns other people's mistakes, prejudice, or arbitrariness, you
will be better off if you shrug your shoulders and move on. In the
long-term, life often has its own funny ways to settle accounts without
your intervention.

In order to improve your life, you don't need to place your hopes on a
lottery ticket or wait for the world to grant you the perfect
opportunity. There is a better way and it is condensed in the principles
of rational living, principles such as “think like an entrepreneur, not
like a crusader,” “ignore the noise and focus on results,” “stay away
from high-risk situations,” “find people who share your values,” and
“develop strong long-term passions.”

This book presents the principles
of rational living in great detail, with numerous examples of people who
have applied them successfully. The principles of rational living are
sound ideas that can dramatically improve your life. Learn all about
them and start applying them today.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Think like an entrepreneur, not like a crusader A recipe for getting ahead in good and bad timesDebating and arguing are a waste of timeThe true believer is the one who preaches by exampleEntrepreneurs thrive on trouble and inconvenienceUnlike resources, opportunities are infinite

2. Ignore the noise and focus on resultsIf one road is blocked, take anotherHow to keep calm when you are surrounded by nonsenseThe effective way to handle work overloadLearning from people who never feel discouragedA proven strategy against career stagnation

3. Live inexpensively and invest for future incomeWhy the stock market offers the best opportunitiesCommon traits of great businessmen and investorsWhat kind of companies should you invest in?A simple strategy is all you needAdopt a realistic and practical approach

4. Choose a simple and healthy lifestyleDon't just eat well, eat wonderfullyWhat is healthy, tasty, and easy to cook?How to reduce everyday risks to your healthEating healthily when you are travellingIs it possible to slow down ageing?Why it is so difficult to lead a simple life

5. Find people who share your valuesWhy you should ignore most of what you hearThe ugly duckling story repeats itself every dayOvercoming the resistance to changing jobs and relocatingDon't be original, be unique Proven strategies for building great relationshipsWould you recognize yourself in the crowd?

6. Listen to your emotions, but check the factsBeware of exaggerated romantic talesIn dating and cooking, choose natural ingredientsHow far are you willing to go for happiness?Conflicting values lead to contradictory behaviourThe short distance between infatuation and obfuscationDo not waste your best years pursuing unworkable ideals

7. Accept the inevitable hassles of lifePutting an end to exaggerated fearsExtreme reactions are foolish and wastefulIn praise of caution and circumspectionCan you remain self-confident in times of trouble?How impatient people become stoic philosophers Never grant problems more weight than they deserve

8. Stay away from high-risk situationsDeath statistics make great bedtime readingTranquillity seldom comes cheapDo not make an obsession of the perfect professionThree situations that you should avoid like the pestEvery archer needs more than one arrowThe jungle never sleeps

9. Acquire effective habitsAn hour has sixty minutes, a day twenty-four hoursIn praise of staying behindHow a proactive attitude helps you overcome difficultiesLet go of the dead weight of prejudiceSmooth operators get more out of lifePersonal effectiveness depends on patterns

10. Develop strong long-term passionsComparing yourself with other people makes no senseDon't drink the poison of contradictionWhat heroes are made ofThe myths of the single skill and the unique opportunityBecome tolerant of mistakes, since you will make so manyThe link between integrity and passionThe 10 Principles of Rational Livingby John Vespasian

It takes a while before a man realizes that he is going to die some day.
Some people never become conscious of their mortality and continue to
waste their days until the very last moment. Drug consumption, including
alcohol, is a failed attempt to appease the anxiety created by the
fundamental truth that time moves in only one direction.

Accepting
that your days are limited is a precondition for making the best use of
your time

With happiness as a long-term goal, personal growth becomes a
short-term objective. With longevity as a desirable aim, good nutrition
becomes a crucial element of the good life. The trend is given by
Nature, but each individual must define his own strategy.

Gaining
understanding of the fact that each passing day is irrecoverable exerts
enormous pressure on the insecure. They wonder incessantly if they are
doing the right thing or enough of it. They speculate about a myriad of
other activities that they could be carrying out instead. They terrorize
themselves with statistics of who is doing what, how fast, and how
well.

Should we let anxiety drive our lives? In the pursuit of
our goals, how can we strike the optimal balance between peace of mind
and personal growth? An hour always has sixty minutes and every new day
offers us another twenty-four hours. Exaggerated time-consciousness and
focus on achievement may lead men to a psychological misery not better
than the destitution of the idler.

Personal growth requires
balance as much as it demands passion

The path to happiness should be
first drawn with charcoals and then brought to life with oil colours. We
learn as we walk. Mistakes are inescapable as we sometimes take the
wrong turn of the road. Nobody possesses the ability to make all the
correct choices.

No man can at the same time concentrate all
resources on his future and enjoy the hours of the present. Each
individual is born and raised in different circumstances. Genetic,
family, and personal qualities vary heavily from one person to the next,
even within the same family. The philosophical approach to happiness
should not deviate from the hard rules of reality.

Imagine a
young man who, growing in the most favourable environment, identifies
his lifetime ambitions when he is fifteen years old. He may well spend
the rest of his life pursuing his goals, but there is no guarantee that
he will achieve them. Anyone entering a professional field has to learn
the trade and assimilate its written and unwritten rules.

Sooner
or later, lack of knowledge, bad luck or misunderstandings will slow
down his professional progress or bring it to a complete standstill. Any
biography that you may read will provide evidence of the universality
of this principle. Trains stop from time to time, careers stall, and
fortunes are sometimes lost.

Occasionally, evil forces may play a
role in the demise of a great ambition, but those cases are more rare
than popular accounts tend to portray. More often than not,
discouragement is the visceral response to failure. Summer grows the
seeds nourished by spring rain and winter kills the trees weakened by
autumn storms. However, when it comes to human beings, our mental
versatility allows us to develop extreme resiliency and surmount all
disappointments.The best strategy is to identify your goal, start moving immediately towards it, and correct mistakes along
the way

What is the best approach to adapt the rhythm of
our personal growth to our own conditions and situations? Can we define
a formula that applies to all men, all countries, and all historical
periods? Experience has taught me that the best strategy is to identify your goal, start moving immediately towards it, and correct mistakes along
the way.

Relentless action will take you farther on any road you
choose, but the crucial aspect in the happiness quest might not be
motivation but efficiency. Everybody can raise his motivation level, at
least for a while, by attending rallies and listening to speeches. You
can chant and dance around, you can dream and speak your heart out, but
very little will be achieved.

Other people may support your
endeavours or oppose your initiatives, but in the long-term, their
actions play only a minor role, like the noise of a train running on its
track. Indeed, the sound accompanies the train, but what moves the
wagons is the engine, not the noise.

Discard motivation and let
action drive you to a better life. What you do counts more than what you
dream about. Gaining efficiency and speed on your path to happiness are
desirable effects connected to the choice and extent of your actions.
If you wish, spend some time cultivating your motivation, but do not let
it develop into a game of its own. Talking is not tantamount to doing.

Fast
and cheap mistakes are the cardinal accelerators of human success

Inexpensive errors are the sweetest way to happiness, in particular when
those errors are rapidly admitted and corrected. Learn a lesson from
each of them and avoid repeating the cause and effect. This factor alone
can compound the positive effects of your work and lead you to levels
of achievement that you previously thought beyond your reach.

The
experience acquired in a few years of continuous action will teach you
more than several decades of exquisite motivational talks. Reality is
too complex to be reduced to pure theory. This is why personal growth
can be achieved only through experience.

Knowledge is spread in
the market like minerals are contained in sea water. If you wish to
become a great surfer, you will have to taste the water hundreds of
times. Your reflexes will become faster as you learn how to profit from
the changing wind. In your search of happiness, let practice take
precedence over speculation. From mistakes, you gain insight and a
sharper vision, while empty talk will just eat up your limited time.
Choose the way of action.

Every few years, investigative reporters uncover scandals of some
religious or social movement which, under the pretence of improving the
world, serves only to enrich its leaders. This sort of exploitative
phenomena are not new. Abundant examples of similar cases can be found
in sources from previous centuries.

The rational versus the irrational approach to human relations

Why do these abusive
situations repeat themselves so frequently? What allows those harmful
schemes to attract thousands of victims in different countries and
historical periods? The response lies before our eyes: individuals feel
alone and want to belong to a closely-knit group, even if that entails
paying the highest price.

Men and women wish to be part of a
community. We all desire to feel needed and appreciated. In a harsh city
environment, a polite sentence or gesture may constitute a shocking act
of generosity. Even self-serving, abject flattery can work once in a
while in situations that have become so dehumanized that people are
starving to hear a few nice words.

Isolation creates
psychological vulnerability, which, on many occasions, turns into
long-term dependence and subservience. Sociologists have come up with
sophisticated theories to explain why people fall prey to heartless
manipulators, but do we need a long chain of reasoning when direct
observation can provide the answer?

We seldom take time to reflect how people become friends

The fundamental cause of such
pernicious relationships is a false theory of friendship. It is a fact
that, from infancy to retirement, men get together, talk, and cooperate.
Although we see friendships begin everyday and fail every hour, in
advantageous or disruptive conditions, we seldom take the time to
reflect how the process works.

Bromides about personal relations are of little practical use

When it comes to making friends,
commonplace advice has become integrated in the dominant culture to such
an extent that it reigns uncontested. Traditional guidelines have been
recycled and rehashed without much regard to veracity or scientific
proof. Here are some bromides that are often served as entrée, main
course, and dessert:

1. Smile to random strangers.

2. Do not express unpopular ideas.

3. Avoid making controversial statements.

4. Listen to others and never contest their views openly.

5. Do not attract undue attention.

6. Show interest in whatever stories people choose to tell you.

7. Be flexible and avoid making clear-cut statements.

8. Do not antagonize others by bringing up sensitive subjects.

9. Cultivate small talk and avoid criticizing people.

10. Do not embarrass others by pointing out obvious contradictions.

The
list could be extended to comprise a hundred commandments. The issue is
to determine whether those recommendations lead to friendship or to
something else. What are the results of following such advice?

Exhortations
to avoid personal conflict may be meant to protect your career, but
they possess a fatal weakness. Their effectiveness in hiding your true
opinions becomes, at the same time, the poison that prevents you from
developing any kind of deep, satisfying, involved personal relation.

How rational people choose their friends

Rational
people do not choose their friends amongst those who avoid firm
commitments, appear self-effacing, and sugar-coat their remarks. Playing
down your personal views in order to please strangers will certainly
minimize the amount of conflict in your life, but it will also render
you invisible to potential friends, that is, those who share your values
and convictions.

Being yourself is the first step to build
satisfactory relationships. If you choose to dissimulate your interests
and beliefs for the sake of conformity, you might be accepted by a
certain community, but only as an empty human shell. Is it worth it to
give up your personality in order to enter a space where you essentially
don't belong?

The crucial advantage of having a rational philosophy to guide your actions

From time to time, when a situation so requires,
it may be advisable for you to refrain speaking out your mind. Those
cases tend to be exceptional in modern society. As a general rule, a man
is better off by letting his philosophy inspire his words and gestures
so that others can see him the way he is. In practical terms, this is
what an open attitude entails:

* Reserve your acts of kindness for people you like.

* Do discuss about ideas, principles, and ethics.

* If you believe that you are objectively right, take a clear position.

* Remain open to examine evidence that contradicts your views.

* When you make a mistake, apologize, and learn for the future.

* Be polite, but if someone tries to force something upon you, just say no.

* By pointing out contradictions to people who are willing to listen, you might prevent a catastrophe from occurring.

* Seek truth and steer clear of insincere people. Liars are the sort of persons that you don't want to have in your life.

A
realistic theory of friendship begins with a commonality of interests
and values. A life filled with empty social engagements is tantamount to
an endless nightmare from which you never wake up. Seek out people who
appreciate profound discussions and share your rational beliefs.

Offer
consistency between form and substance and fly high the flag of your
convictions. Be yourself and you will not fail to attract your perfect
social match. True friendship is what binds those who share the same
road and move forward in the same direction.

When I was a kid, I never really got to believe what I was told about
success. Life seemed to have many more tracks that the one that was
being officially preached. There were too many interesting destinations
and I saw no justification why only one of them should be correct. In
fact, I reasoned, how could anyone dare to formulate a model lifestyle
that all people were supposed to follow at all times?

Why we tend to fear failure more than we should

The tenets
of the success philosophy were simple and have changed little ever
since: failure is scary, so work hard and don't fall behind; keep it
safe and don't take risks; don't be different and stay with the group;
it is better to be warm with the majority than being left alone in the
cold; and above all, you should avoid fundamental doubts and never
question what everybody else is taking for granted.

Reality,
however, soon proved my doubts justified. For starters, I never met
anyone who could be considered really successful according to the
demanding standards that had been preached to me. Secondly, whenever I
met people who called themselves successful, I found them so lacking in
wisdom that I felt pity for them.

Have you taken the time to define success on your own terms?

At that point, I began to
realize that the kind of people that fascinated me never felt into the
standard success category. The artists I liked were usually struggling
or just getting by. The philosophers that I appreciated were far from
being famous and wealthy. The movies I loved had no violence, no stars,
and no special effects. What was that supposed to mean?

The years
passed and, reluctantly, I embraced part of the official philosophy of
success, although my conversion was uncertain and superficial. It did
not take long before the old doubts came back to visit me, in the
beginning every week, then every day, and finally, every night.

Whenever
I made a pause and took the trouble to look around, the original
questions returned to hunt me more strongly than ever. Human life seemed
to be made more of dishevelled threads than of steel frames. The people
I liked best had managed to strike a balance between their ultimate
purpose and their immediate attachments.Ambition without resilience only results in anxiety

In my eyes,
determination without benevolence turns a person into a jerk rather than
a success. Motivation without consideration makes people reckless and
empty. Ambition without resilience results in anxiety. Engagement
without perspective leads to intolerance. Definitely, I told myself,
this is not the way to happiness.

Then one day I happened to read
a biography of Charles Darwin (1809-1882), the English naturalist that
formulated the theory of evolution through slow variation and adaptation
of animal species. Since its inception, Darwin's theory has opened more
wide-ranging discussions in society than any other idea in history.

Before
reading about Darwin's life, I had assumed that he had come up with the
theory of evolution at some point during his scientific expedition to
the Galapagos, that he had quickly published his results, and that he
had enjoyed for many years the prestige and wealth arising from the
subsequent controversies.

I was as wrong as you can be. Darwin's
life story was much less glorious than I had expected, since it shows a
man who had only moved towards success with utmost shyness and
insecurity. In Darwin's actions, I found more hesitation than
determination; in his doubts, I saw the reflection of my fundamental
questions; in the middle decades of his life, I saw more risk aversion
than entrepreneurship.Trial and error are essential ingredients of success

If failure is the equivalent of
immobility, I concluded, then a good part of Darwin's life consisted of
failure. Believe it or not, the man who is reputed to be one of the
greatest scientists in history, procrastinated for fourteen years before
publishing his theory. It is believed that Darwin's hesitation came out
of his fear of criticism, although other factors may have also played a
role.

Whatever the reason, the fact is that Charles Darwin might
have died before taking the step to make his theory public. Apparently,
by the time he turned 35, he had already put his thoughts in writing,
but he only took the initiative to make his conclusions public when he
was 49 years old, that is, fourteen years later. I suggest that you stop
here for a second and ponder what you are planning to do with the next
fourteen years of your life.

What is even more amazing is that
Darwin was only prompted to publish his theory out of the fear of seeing
another scientist come out first with a book on the subject. Only when
Darwin received a letter from Alfred Russell Wallace in 1858 did he
realize that, for him, it was going to be now or never.

Mistakes are part of the cost of learning

Wallace
had come up with the same theory while doing research in the Malay
Archipelago and, in his letter, he had presented a summary to Darwin.
After fourteen years of paralysing doubts, Darwin swiftly made up his
mind, prepared his notes for publication, and took the decisive step.
All his fame and success come from that critical step, for which it took
him fourteen years to gather enough courage.

Darwin's story made
me wonder if failure and hesitation, instead of being the inhibitors of
human success, should not be rather viewed as the harbingers, almost
the prerequisites of any substantial achievement. Maybe, I thought,
although failure is disruptive and scary, we can only appreciate its
meaning when we place it in a long-term context.

Failure changes
our way of thinking and our future actions, often turning us into wiser
and more successful human beings. Indeed, failure is frightening, but
only to a certain point. That's the point at which each of us is given
one more chance to turn our lives around.

When someone is looking look for a job, he sends his resume around,
replies to advertisements, and finally, he gets invited to interviews.
Being the employment market what it is, candidates are rejected in nine
out of ten cases. A week after the interview, they receive a phone call
informing them that another applicant has been chosen to fill the open
position.How to deal effectively with other people's errors

Sometimes, there is a good reason why another person
has been selected for that post, but a certain element of randomness
influences a large proportion of hiring processes. On many occasions,
the choice cannot be rationally justified and one should not waste time
trying to figure out mysterious reasons that do not exist.An
element of arbitrariness is not foreign to those cases, as it happens in
countless human activities. Why did you buy this make of car and not
that one? Would you repeat that purchase today? How did you come to
choose your family doctor? Do you remember how you met each of your best
friends?Don't waste your time trying to find logical explanations for stupid mistakes

What is surprising is people's reaction to failure and
rejection. Chances are that the candidate who has not been selected for a
particular job will get to hear from his family and friends that he
should improve his attitude, manners, clothing, hairdo, and who knows
how many other aspects.Salesmen who go through a difficult
period also get served a menu of motivational speeches and meetings to
discuss their attitude. In other professions, such as sports, acting, or
management, the story runs a parallel course. The problem, you will be
told, is in how you see the world.The role that enthusiasm plays in success is massively overrated

Well, luckily, this is not
true. Enthusiasm and attitude play a certain role in performance, but
their importance should not be overemphasized. If you pause to think for
a second, you will realize that the professionals whom you most trust
don't seem to be excessively driven or enthusiastic.What you expect
primarily from your doctor, lawyer, plumber, or car mechanic is not
that they are greatly inspiring, but that they do a good job and deliver
competent service. Action is what we want to see. Service is what we
want to receive. Predictable, rational action is one million times more
valuable than attitude and motivation.Action is the essential
factor that gets things done, sold, and delivered. The candidate who has
not been selected for the job should not spend too much time wallowing
in self-recrimination about what he could have done better. If he can
draw some useful lesson for the future, so much the better, but in most
cases, a failed interview was just a sale that didn't close.Only productive, rational
effort can bring you closer to prosperity and happiness

Don't
devote your worthy hours to speculate about undefined psychological
factors, arbitrary theories, and nonsensical advice. Professional
salesmen know that, given enough time and effort, they will find more
customers. Watching, hoping, and talking seldom help. Only productive
effort can bring you closer to success.Athletes are motivated
when they compete, but in the end, it is their past training what
usually determines who will win the race. Instead of speculative advice,
choose the wisdom of rational action. Let others wonder if the world
should be this or that way. Move on, redouble your attempts to reach the
place you want to be, and let your actions speak for themselves.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

JOHN VESPASIAN is the author of eight books about rational living, including "When Everything Fails, Try This" (2009), "Rationality Is the Way to Happiness" (2009), "The Philosophy of Builders: How to Build a Great Future with the Pieces from Your Past" (2010), "The 10 Principles of Rational Living" (2012), "Rational Living, Rational Working: How to Make Winning Moves When Things Are Falling Apart" (2013), "Consistency: The Key to Permanent Stress Relief" (2014), "On Becoming Unbreakable: How Normal People Become Extraordinarily Self-Confident" (2015), and "Thriving in difficult times: Twelve lessons from Ancient Greece to improve your life today" (2016).